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Due to overwhelming evidence, there is no questionable doubt that Sylvester Stallone uses anabolic steroids. For those of you who don’t believe me, this includes a conviction in Australia for the possession of synthetic testosterone and the importation of human growth hormone.

This was a method used to great success by some of the biggest old-school natural bodybuilders such as Steve Reeves, John Grimek and Reg Park.

A word of caution however: this workout is not for the faint hearted. You will need a sick bucket at the ready!

What is Squats & Milk?

Squats and Milk, also known as Breathing Squats or the 20 Rep Squat Routine, is a brutal training regime which is aimed at piling on as much muscle as quickly as possible.

It primarily involves 20 reps of heavy squats every session in addition to drinking a gallon (8 pints) of milk every day.

Importantly the 20 reps must be performed at your 10RM.

This means that you bust out the first 10 as normal reps, then for the following 10 reps you perform breathing squats, so you are taking 5 deep gulps of air between each agonising rep.Continue reading →

Harrison J Maurus is a young Olympic weightlifter in the united states (USA) with promising talent. He was born on the 26th of February in 1999 and whilst his core focus is on weightlifting (clean, snatch and jerk) he has also entered a number of powerlifting competitions.

harrison maurus weightlifting

Harrison started out in gymnastics at a very young age and was very strong and coordinated. His coach Kevin Simons of Alpha Strength Conditioning stated during an interview that “it was apparent early on that Maurus was athletically gifted.”, however his coach went onto explain that Harrison was never going to score high because his lines weren’t great and his structure was poor for gymnastics.

Kevin thought about how he could utilize Harrison’s strength and coordination and after Harrison watched Kevin run through his CrossFit routine, Harrison decided to start weightlifting. He was only 11 years old at the time and in 6th Grade at school. At his first powerlifitng meet (the Washington State Powerlifting Championships) he was just 12 years old and weighed 47kg (102lb) and he successfully totaled 262.5kg (579lb) from his max squat (100kg), bench (50kg) and deadlift (112.5kg). Before the age of 14 he could squat 200kg raw which was equal to three times his own body-weight which firmly sits him in an elite class of lifters.

Harrision then switched to focus on Olympic weightlifting as he prefers the feel, speed and believes he can progress much further with olympic lifting. Harrison Maurus is currently a youth athlete for the United States of America and whilst his is not currently listed on www.usaweightlifting.org, he appears on their YouTube channel. Harrison Maurus currently competes in the 69kg weight class. Harrison is expected to attend the 2014 Young Pan American games held in Lima, Peru on the 7th-14th of May in 2014. Recent videos demonstrate that Harrison can clean and jerk 131kg (289lb) and snatch over 100kg (225lb). Below is a video of Harrison at the USA 2014 national championship.

When on a calorie restricted diet it can be difficult to find a good variety of foods you can eat that are filling but don’t exceed your desired intake. In the past I’ve often struggled to stay full when reducing my calories, so knowing the foods right foods goes along way. For example, whilst peanut butter is a filling food, it’s also (unfortunately) a rather calorie dense food and before you’ve barely blinked you can consume a third of your calorie allowance.

Sticking to the basics like avoiding processed, sugary foods and focusing on eating vegetables and protein is a solid foundation, but we should be always be careful to get enough ‘healthy’ fat in our diet to support our hormones. Additionally, if you’re like me, you won’t enjoy dropping your carbohydrate intake too low as your grumpiness soon becomes apparent.

If you’re already in the position of fighting hunger, think about whether you are crash dieting and if you are being too harsh on your body. Don’t be put off by gradually reducing the calories you consume over time, as this will often be just as effective.(You are less likely to binge or quit.) You can also consider increasing your level of cardiovascular activity to counter the additional calories consumed or useintermittent fasting. (This really helped me to reduce my body fat.)

Enough chatter, here’s my top list:

Cauliflower & Broccoli
Cauliflower has just 25 Calories per 100g and Broccoli has 34 calories per 100g. Fibre galore!

Florets Of Broccoli

Tinned Tomatoes
Less than 80 calories in a 400g tin! Great for bulking out meals and adding taste. I often mix it with vegetables, tuna and 75g of brown rice pasta for a perfectly filling meal.

Tinned Tomatoes

White Fish
Approximately 80 calories per 100g, nearly all of which is high BV (biological value) protein, what’s not to love? The flavour? That can always be enhanced with spices.

fresh white fish

Sugar Free Jelly
Whilst you’d think this should be a treat, you can buy pots 175g pots that are only 10 calories or make your own using cubes. My favourite brand is Hartleys Jelly, the only bad thing is you have to think in advance as the jelly seems to take about half a day to set.

Hartleys sugar free jelly

Sweet PotatoesWhilst the highest per 100g than any other of the foods mentioned, there is only around 87 calories per 100g of sweet potato. (Its also the most filling!) Whenever I’m on a low calorie diet, I find sweet potato is usually included in at least of of my meals each day.

Sweet Potato

Asparagus
Grilled in the oven with your favourite mix of herb and chilli, Lovely! A fantastic addition to almost any meal.

Grilled Asparagus

Apples
With only 50-60 calories in a whole apple, they make the perfect snack or addition to your meal.

An apple a day..

Celery & CucumberCelery is a fantastic snack, but don’t be tempted to start dipping it into some calorie dense dips! If you’re looking to avoid the temptation stick with Cucumber.

Cucumber & Celery

Water
You may think this is a joke, but many people struggle to tell the difference between dehydration and hunger. A large glass of water will soon help you to decide. On that note, green tea is also a fantastic low calorie drink that’s great for your digestive system.